Is there anyone
actually talking about happy hardcore on the Internet?

Once upon a time the Internet was a barren land with regards to
happy hardcore discussion, until in early 1996 DJ Noahphex (From the
good old US of A) surprisingly created the happy hardcore mailing list.
The address for subscription is: happy-request@hardcorps.org.

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as and when they are posted
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It's a mutation of early 90's
British breakbeat hardcore and jungle, fused with German/Dutch 4/4 percussion
and synthesizer stab patterns. Most common elements are female vocals
laid over major piano chords (usually with some bass and strings in
the background). Speeds range from 160 bpm up to around 200bpm. [Coupe,Lawton,Weston]

Stands for "Master of Ceremonies",originally
used by the Hip-Hop and Ragga scenes but (in the context of dance music)
now meaning someone who incites the crowd, introduces the DJs, etc.
They are supposed to compliment the music.

PLUR stands for Peace, Love, Unity
and Respect. It's an ideal that most happy hardcore ravers strive to
live by whilst they are amongst fellow ravers and also hopefully in
everyday life
There's rather a good full explanation here
if you're interested.

Usually tucked away in the bottom
corner of flyers, ROAR stands for Right Of Admission Reserved. This
means that they don't have to let you in the club/event if they don't
like the look of you - even if you have paid!!!

Lots of late nights, a big record
collection, a huge sampler, a sequencer and a truckload of Pepsi Max.
*grin*

Spend money on quality equipment
and then learn how to write music. A record label owner was quoted as
saying "I've received loads of demo tapes written by some kid with an
Amiga and they've gone in the bin after the first listen!"

Seriously though practise, practise,
practise. Don't expect your first choon to be the next Toytown!

Hints and tips on producing techno
and happy hardcore can be found in the Toolbox section of S-Scape's
happy hardcore world.

Basically a sampler and a sequencer
is needed.
A sampler takes sounds that you put in and lets you play them back at
different pitches. Most samplers let you play the sound on a keyboard,
so if a piano is sampled the keyboard will sound like a piano.
A sequencer lets you record tracks, for example track 1 could be a piano,
track 2 could be a breakbeat, etc. It is different from a multi-track
tape recorder in that it only records which notes are played (e.g. C
for 1 beat then D for 2 beats then E etc.) rather than the actual sounds
that come out.
There are several ways of constructing the setup, from using a program
like a soundtracker, which makes the computer (normally an Amiga or
PC) act like a sampler, to buying a real external sampler .... - Mark
White

According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, Ecstasy is MethyleneDioxy- MethAmphetamine. Other names
include E, X or Adam. In its raw form it is a browny grey powder. Patented
in 1913 by a German company called Merck. It is an hallucinogenic drug
with extraordinary empathogenic qualities.
What does it do?

When ingested Ecstasy triggers
the release of Serotonin. A chemical in the brain that affects the way
we feel. The user will then experience a change in mood. Each user would
describe the feeling differently but almost universally they will mention
a feeling of calm, or at peace with those around them. As well as Serotonin
the brain will release Endorphins. These will also relax the user and
in many cases Endorphins act as pain killers. There will be a change
in the heart rate of the user as the heart beats more quickly and the
blood pressure increases. The main effect the drug has on people is
to allow them to become more spiritually aware of the people around
them, to increase one's empathy, and to make one feel 'amongst friends.'
There is also a sensation known as rushing, which is similarly difficult
to describe as sneezing or having an orgasm. This comes in waves all
through the trip, but more often at the begining. It is a very powerful
feeling of light-headedness, during which it is common to want to hold
someone's hand close to you. This is also the time at which you realise
how the drug got it's name.

The above information is taken
from the uk.music.rave FAQ
with the kind permission of Simon Patten.

Well there's going to be a lot
of disagreement between people concerning musical taste but there are
certain choons which, either love 'em or hate 'em, have to be considered
as classics/anthems or just plain STORMING choons

A track is one tune.
A module is
a) a computer file which is made up of lots of samples which are sped
up and slowed down to create a tune and b) is a little box of trix that
you connect to your synth to give it hundreds more voices/sounds. A
sample is a 'snippit' from someone elses tune or just from somewhere
that can be added into your track. It could be voice, a drum/break beat,
a riff etc. It's usually quite short. - Chris Cole

The Roland TB-303 Bassline was
originally released in the early 80's. It was meant to be the partner
TR-606 drum machine. Both of these were meant to be used by guitarists
as accompaniment instruments, but the sounds they produced were a bit
"crap" and the 303 flopped, as did the 606. The 303 is basically a simple
analogue synthesizer with a few waveforms, and a rather special filter
which gives it that "hmmm, I think this acid line is melting my brain"
squidgeyness. The secret to the 303's sound is the combination of the
filter, and the sequencer, which had a pre-note portamento function
to emulate a guitarist sliding up the neck of the guitar (wobblin' basslines).
When someone discovered the rather special noises this little box created,
the acid house scene was born. And since then it's been used by just
about everybody. Unfortunately, because they are so in demand, the second
hand prices are ridiculous. - Rich Weston

The 303 itself isn't used much
in happy hardcore, but a modern copy, the Novation Bass-station is.
Most of the wobbling filtered bass noises you hear in happy hardcore
probably come from one of these.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a
multi-user, multi-channel chatting network. It allows people all over
the internet to talk to one another in real-time. IRC is based on a
client-server model. Clients are programs that connect to a server,
a server is a program that transports data (messages) from a usre client
to another. There are clients running on many different systems (Unix,
emacs, VMS, MSDOS...) that allow you to connect to an IRC server.

It is easy to get on IRC, all
you have to do is obtain the appropriate software ie. MIRC for Windows
etc. or simply run the IRC binary file on your unix system. Once running
you must connect to a server by issuing the ircII server command "/server
server.domain.name" substituting server.domain.name with any IRC server.
Some servers include: ug.cs.dal.ca - Canada irc.epix.net - USA csa.bu.edu
- USA irc.ais.net - USA irc2.ais.net - USA ucsu.colorado.edu - USA irc.caltech.edu
- USA nic.funet.fi - Finland poly.polytechnique.fr - France noc.belwue.de
- Germany onthenet.goldcoast.oz.org - Australia irc.Univ-Lyon1.Fr -
France Then enter your nickname. All communication with another user
is either by nickname of by the channel that other people or you are
on. Join a channel and then start typing. To join to a channel issue
the /join command ie. "/join #happycore" to leave a channel issue the
/leave channel ie. "/leave #deathmetal". That's it. - Danny Stringer
Listen out on the happy hardcore mailing list for get togethers on #happycore

Due to the happy hardcore list,
a channel called #happycore has been created and regular meet-ups occur
with people from the happy hardcore mailing list. These are usually
on a Sunday evening at about 9.30 GMT. I'm not sure exactly about with
IRC net is used (EFNet, UnderNet etc). Join the happy mailing list to
find out more.

The UK - the originator!
Australia. It's been massive here for two years.(Dave Bolton 1996) It's
gaining popularity over in the States now, since a Happy hardcore compilation
was released over there recently, to excellent reviews.

In late '96 to early '97 there
was a distinct lack of breakbeats in happy hardcore. Many put this down
to the speed at which the music had gradually reached. Breakbeats simply
sound too messy at 190bpm. With the gradual slowing down of the music
beginning now (Mid '97) breakbeats are now making a comeback oncemore.